El Arish Historic Soldier Settlement Township

The township was established under the "Returned Soldiers Settlement Act of 1917 and was initially known as "The Maria Creek Soldiers' Settlement" at El Arish.  It was established on the 1st of August 1920. El Arish was named after a town on the coast of Egypt.  It was a strategic watering place and hospital town in World war I for the Australian Light Horse Brigade on the advance to Damascus.  The streets of El Arish are all, with the exception of two, named after widely respected World War I leaders, namely:

• General Sir John Monash
• Brigadier General Sir Henry George
• Brigadier General Granville Ryrie
• Brigadier General John Robinson
• Major General Sir Thomas Glasgow
• Major General Lachlan Wilson

The other two streets are named after Francis Martin (Supervisor of the settlement) and Major Tasman Millington, OBE who served at Gallipoli and in 1919 served with the Imperial War Graves commission